issue for women issues. they're the 8% to 10% who may decide the election. all morning we're putting the uncommitted voter in focus. one week after the tragic suicide of amanda todd, a canadian law mamaker is introdug legislation to combat cyber bullying. so why is one father, who also lost his son, against it? good morning, everyone. i'm randi kaye. it is 10:00 on the east coast, 7:00 a.m. on the west. glad you're with us. we start with new evidence of security concerns in libya and warnings from a murdered ambassador. chris stevens sounded the alarms before he and three other americans were killed in the deadly consulate attack in benghazi. republican leaders in the house have released dozens of documents in the investigation. 166 pages, e-mails and cables between the state department and people in the field. those house leaders say it shows

that the obama administration ignored security problems. but obama administration officials say the documents don't tell the whole story. so let's bring in our intelligence correspondent suzanne kelly, who has been going through all of this. what new details are you finding in the cables and the e-mails? >> reporter: the cables certainly give us more detail into the thinking of ambassador stevens in the months, weeks and even hours before his death. for example, we know that just hours before the attack that killed him and three other americans, he expressed concern over the rising security threats in benghazi and in nearby town where is the ambassador believed that islamic extremists were gaining a strong foothold. he was also worried that there was no deterrents to act against those groups, and the u.s. security presence was shrinking rapidly. the ambassador noted that this was becoming a huge issue and a huge problem for them. and that the drawdown from some 34 u.s. security personnel to 27 in july, he noted once again in

august that that number was expected to drop to seven. the ambassador was very concerned about the creation of a security vacuum, noting that he couldn't rely on local security to fill that gap. another cable just before the attacks noted that host nation support is lacking and cannot be depended on to create a safe environment. a week before the attacks, a cable sent from benghazi noted that police have established a 24/7 response to the mission, but that raises the question, where were those personnel once that attack began? >> right. it also raises the question, was there anything that could have been done to prevent the attack at the consulate? >> right. and that's always what people want to know. this sort of monday morning quarterbacking. once all the pieces fell into place, what did you know. we do know that the u.s. would have had a much better chance had it beefed up security to ward off the attack once it again. we don't know yet -- because the ongoing drama, for lack of a better worked over the

intelligence that was known and when it was known, we don't yet know whether there were pieces that were somehow missed, intelligence that should have been gathered, we simply don't have all those answers. as you know, that's become something of a huge political debate here in washington. >> yeah. and it continues. suzanne kelly, thank you very much. >> thank you. to the presidential race now. there are just 17 days to go until the election. the candidates are hunkering down this weekend, doing some more debate prep. after all, the third and final debate is monday night. but before stepping back, both candidates put the pressure on voters in some of those key swing states and that meant a lot of trash talking on the trail. so let's start with the obama campaign. during a rally in virginia yesterday, the president came up with a new dying moe sis, if you want the call it that, for his competitor. take a listen. >> he's forgetting what his own positions are and he's betting that you will, too. i mean, he's changing up so much and backtracking and

sidestepping. we've got to name this condition that he's going through. i think -- i think it's call ee romnesia. and if you come down with a case of romnesia, and you can't seem to remember the policies that are still on your website, or the promises you've made over the six years you've been running for president, here's the good news. obama care covers preexisting conditions. [ cheers and applause ] we can fix you up! we've got a cure! >> mitt romney took no time to fire back against the president's comments. during his rally in florida, he said obama is avoiding real issues by talking about romnesia and claims it's a sign obama's campaign is shrinking.

>> have you been watching the obama campaign lately? it's absolutely remarkable. they have no agenda for the future. no agenda for america. no agenda for a second term. it's a good thing they won't have a second term. they've been reduced to petty attacks and silly word games. just watch it. the obama campaign has become the incredible shrinking campaign. this is a big country with big opportunities and great challenges, and they keep on talking about smaller and smaller things. >> it's not just the candidates talking. there are also some influential newspapers making some picks. "the denver post" is throwing its weight behind president obama. the newspaper wrote that the president has shown that "he is a steady leader who keeps the

interest of a broad array of americans in mind." the newspaper said that his opponent mitt romney "has not presented himself as a leader who will bring his party closer to the center. his comments on the 47% of americans refuse to take personal responsibility and care for their lives were a telling insight into his views and a low point of the campaign." another newspaper endorsement for the president, this time from the salt lake tribune. "the president has earned a second term. romney, in whatever guise, does not deserve a first." but mitt romney wasn't shut out in the paper chase. the "orlando sentinel" gave him their support. the newspaper wrote that "we have little confidence that obama would be more successful managing the economy and the budge net the next four years." the obama campaign announced a new record for the largest single day of fundraising. they say that the day of that second debate, they raised the

most money yet, even beating out the record numbers they put up in 2008. but they're not giving exact numbers. joe biden is shaking it up again. i'm talking about the etchisketch as a campaign punch line. you may recall the comment about shaking it up and starting fresh like an etchisketch. that was seven months ago, but the reference isn't too stale for vice president joe biden. >> the president stayed day after the debate that romney's plans had become awfully sketchy, is the phrase the president used. i'm reluctant to correct the president on anything. [ laughter ] but i would respectfully suggest they're not sketchy, they're etchisketchy. >> paul ryan was back near the scene of the line, the 47% line, that is. ryan attended a fundraiser hosted by the private executive hosting the fundraiser for mitt romney when the republican

challenger uttered the now infamous 47% remark. at friday's event, donors attended a general reception and for $10,000, they earned a picture with the vice presidential candidate. a picture isn't cutting it for some. they want a concrete plan with some specification from both sides. that's why they are uncommitted voters. we'll take a lack at how they can possibly be swayed and what it could moon to the outcome of this election. but first, a question for all you political junkies watching. what state gave president obama his largest margin of victory in the 2008 election? if you know the answer, you can tweet me at r. [ mujahid ] there was a little bit of trepidation,

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before the break, i asked you if you knew the answer to

this question right there. what state gave president obama the largest margin of victory in the 2008 election? the answer is -- you see it there. hawaii. he won his home state by 45%. that is the biggest state margin. but he won the district of columbia by nearly 86%. nicely done. we are now just 17 days away from election day, although for those of you in more than 20 states, early voting is already here. we've been watching the numbers go back and forth, both in the polls and the deciding factor could be so called uncommitted voters. we've been focusing on them throughout the morning. they, 8% to 10% of people, who either haven't made their choice or have an idea who they want, but they could still change their minds. joining me now as they do every week, maria cardona and amy holmes. good morning to both of you. lot s to talk about. maria, what are people waiting for? what can still sway the vote at

this point? >> that's a really good question, randi, one that i ask myself probably every morning and will for the next 17 days. but i think what is important in this election, if you are an undecided voter, especially one in the swing states, i can't imagine that it's because you don't have enough to go on on these records, given the barrage of ads and campaign events on both sides that these voters have really been exposed to. i think at the end of the day, what is going to be important for these swing voters is who do you trust? who do you trust to really fight for you and to really fight for the issues that you care most about. i was just flabbergasted this morning -- and you just mentioned this -- when i saw that the salt lake tribune endorsed president obama, as opposed to mitt romney who is practically the hometown guy. these are their people. these are his people. and the fact that they basically underscored that romney was a shape shifting nominee and that

he continued to bring up the central question for his campaign, and i think the question for swing voters is who is this guy and what does he truly believe? i think that's an important for swing voters. >> let me let amy weigh in here. what's going to sway the vote at this point? >> i think maria's right, that people are looking at the candidate that they can trust. obviously you're hearing one side, and that person is not mitt romney. i think these undecided voters are also weighing the status quo versus the future and they haven't heard yet which candidate has the most convincing case for the future. you hear that a lot in the focus groups, and that doesn't bode well for president obama, who, according to gallup. is trailing 5%, 6% behind governor romney. so for president obama to try to make that sail with undecided voters, you have to remember these are vote who are have seen him in action the last four years and still aren't convinced.

so that's the steep hill for the president the climb. >> amy, what was the one moment from the second debate that had the most effect on the uncommitted voter? >> well, what we saw from cnn's own polling was that mitt romney led on the issues of the economy, but what we've talked the most about was that libya moment where it seemed that both candidates weren't really on sure footing. i think obama is in a lot of trouble, though that the next debate is about foreign policy, and while they were having this very sort of weasely debate over three words, "act of terror," the voters don't want to see a president hiding behind three words. they want to see a president leading when it comes to foreign policy and america's national security. >> maria, you want to respond to that? >> sure. just quickly on libya. a lot of analysts say that was actually the moment where president obama won the debate, and we've seen in poll after poll that president obama did win this debate. and romney, i think, really sunk himself when it was clear that he was politicizing the tragedy that happened in libya for

political gain. now, there's no question that this will be a big issue in the upcoming debate. and president obama is absolutely prepared to handle that straight on. but one other moment that really stood out for me, and i even wrote a piece on this, is the binders full of women moment. while it was sort of a funny and odd phrase, it underscored all of the questions that women have when it comes to mitt romney, and their absolute lack of trust when it comes to how he would handle the issues that are important to them. including economic issues. >> we actually have that sound byte. and then amy, i want to get your reaction to it. >> we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds who could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. i went to a number of women's groups and said can you help us find folks. they brought us whole binders full of women. >> binders full of women. amy, what do you make of that? >> it didn't strike me when he said it. i know that a lot of the cable networks are trying to hammer

him over the head with this. but that is only because the women's vote is narrowing. and you saw it in the 2010 midterm election that the women's vote was evenly divided between democrats and republicans. the latest polling data shows that the president is losing his lead among women. so you have the president's supporters trying to bring up this ridiculous story line about binders full of women, which was really a story about how romney was trying to include women. there have been reports that women in the obama administration are being paid less than the men. women are looking at the economy as the number one issue and has this president worked for them, and does mitt romney have a plan that they basically can trust and believe in. those are the questions those voters will be weighing. >> in terms of women, the you have the whole issue of abortion and romney related to that and women, 39% now according to gallup poll, saying that that's their number one issue.

so maria, i'll give you a final word on that one. >> that's exactly right. what republicans have done is put all of these issues, including abortion, front and center. when you have mitt romney saying he will defund plan parenthood and sign a law that would outlaw roe v. wade. when you have republican legislatures passing 83 laws restricting services to abortion and restricting health care services for women, i think you're going to see the gender gap grow and grow between now and election day. >> it's going to be interesting. we'll watch it along with you. maria, amy, nice to see you both. of course, remember you can check out maria's take on "binders full of women." you can find it at cnn.com. it's an interesting read. manhunt in michigan. after a rash of shootings rattles the residents there, what police are doing now to stop the suspect. [ male announcer ] the 2013 smart comes with 8 airbags,

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welcome back. i'm randi kaye. 22 minutes past the hour. 7-eleven is offering customers a choice of blue cups for president obama and red cups for mitt romney. it's actually done a pretty good job of predicting the winner. right now, the president is winning with 59% of the vote against romney's 41%. voter registrations are being stuffed in trash bags and

dumped. that's what investigators say was found in this dumpster. colin small is the one accused of throwing those registration forms away. small now faces 13 counts of voter fraud. investigators say he worked for a private consulting firm, which was contracted by the republican party to register voters. the sheriff says small threw out eight voter forms. now to a developing story outside of detroit where a rash of shootings has drivers on edge and police on alert. nick valencia is now to talk more about this. 15 shootings have been reported. where are they taking place and has anyone been hurt? >> reporter: this is really scary stuff. we talked to the police department earlier this morning, and they are scared. they said there's no common thread that weaves together all of these shootings but they do believe they're all connected. the scariest part is motorists are being targeted at random. it's happening on the intertate 96 corridor. nobody hurt just yet, bt the sheriff from oakland county held

the press conference on friday. said there was a man taking out his garbage, heard a bullet whiz over his head. another woman hears a loud boom, gets home, watches the news, hears this story about a shooter or shooters on the loose, goes to her car, finds a bullet lodged in her car. >> oh, my goodness. that is scary, and too close a call for sure. do police have their eyes on anyone? >> yeah, they're looking for a couple descriptions. witnesses have described a ford mustang with racing stripes on the car. other people have described another dark sports car. but this is the ten-month anniversary of the d.c. beltway snipers. they say this is really reminiscent of what happened in d.c. ten years ago. >> people are getting shot at all over the place. the kids are scared. someone's got to put a stop it to. >> thank god nobody's been hurt, but it's still weird when you hear about stuff like this, bringing back memories of the sniper and everything that was happening in d.c. >> so no description of the

suspect, but this person, whoever they may be, is a pretty bad shot or they're trying to scare the motorists. either way it's a very tense situation. >> good thing they're a bad shot. at least right now. appreciate that update. thank you. massive crowds of protesters are marching through london today. union leaders say tens of thousands are marching for a movement called a future that works. they are showing their opposition to budget cuts approved by the uk government. the crowds started in central london and are making their way to a mass rally to be held in hyde park. it was the first legislation signed by president obama. the lilly ledbetter act is against pay discrimination. she'll join me in a moment to talk about the critical women's vote. bob...

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welcome back, everyone. bottom of the hour now. i'm randi kaye. glad you're with us. will they vote paychecks and the economy, or will they be more focused on social issues? whatever the reason behind their vote, women will impact next month's election. in 2008, they swept barack obama into office, giving him a 13% edge. the numbers say the women's vote will be split much more tightly this time around, though. joining me on the phone is lilly ledbetter, the lilly ledbetter fair pay act was the first piece of legislation signed by president obama. lilly, good morning. welcome. thanks for joining us. >> good morning, randi, thank you for having me. >> the candidates were asked about women's pay during the debate. i want you to listen to what they said and i want to ask you

about it. >> okay. >> what we can do to help young women and women of all ages is to have a strong economy, so strong that employers are looking to find good employees and bringing them into their work force and adapting to a flexible work schedule that gives women the opportunities that they would otherwise not be able to afford. >> when we talk about childcare and the credits that we're providing, that makes a difference in terms of whether they can go out there and earn a living for their family. these are not just women's issues. these are family issues. these are economic issues. and one of the things that makes us grow as an economy is when everybody participates, and women are getting the same fair deal as men are. >> so the act with your name on it, lilly, is all about equal pay. did either candidate answer that one adequately for you? >> oh, absolutely. president obama talked about

having the ledbetter bill being the first bill that he signed into the law when he first went into the white house. and he's exactly right and he talked about that he wanted equal pay, because his grandmother who worked all those many hours in the bank, he wanted to be sure that his daughters would have a fair chance to be given the equal opportunity to work and be treated like anyone's sons. and he is so committed to the women's causes, because like he said, it's not just women. it's the families. when you talk about a woman, you're talking about a family issue. >> well, let me ask you about a comment, another comment that governor romney made related to women. listen to this. >> we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of

our cabinet. i went to a number of women's groups and said can you help us find folks. they brought us whole binders full of women. >> the binders full of women comment getting a lot of attention. a lot has been made of that. what's your reaction to that statement? >> that was very degrading the way he stated that, and he was dishonest with that comment because he did not go out and get those binders as he put it. those resumes. >> laying on his desk when he was sworn in as governor of massachusetts. the women's organizations had prepared and gathered those resumes and had them there, and trying to promote more women in the cabinet and the state jobs in massachusetts. governor romney did not go out and ask for them. and that was a degrading remark, in my opinion, when he called them binders. >> let me ask you about this. because the numbers tell us that women didn't initially bounce back from the recession as well

as men, just getting back to the economy here. the gap is closing, though, about 300,000 women have found work in the last six months. but is this still a concern for you? >> the women are bouncing back, and a lot of the women have gone back to schools and training programs and they're getting additional training. more women are finding jobs, just like more men are today. the employment rate is -- the unemployment rate is down, and we're growing and we're on a forward move. that's why i feel so strongly that president obama needs another four years to complete his job and the mission that he has started to get this country back on track, and i think we're going in the right direction. in fact, i know we are. and it's like president clinton said, not any one human being could have turned this country around in the first four years, the condition that he went into the white house and got when he

was sworn in. >> when it comes to polling, the latest polls actually say that the issue of swim in swing states are most concerned with are abortion, by a margin of 39% compared to 19% over jobs. does that surprise you at all when you see the number one issue for women there? >> no, because i am concerned for that, too. i do not believe -- roe v. wade, we fought hard for that to be passed and it's needed. i'm the age that i remember that young women and women who needed an abortion to save their life could not get one back before roe v. wade. and i believe that this should stay and mitt romney has committed himself already that he will reverse that. he will make sure that he supports supreme court justices that will overturn roe v. wade.

he's also stated very emphatically on several occasions that he would defund planned parenthood. so many women across this nation, they depend on that for their contraception, their breast cancer screenings and their pap smears, and their the only way that they can get them. but he has already stated he will defund that program. governor romney has not been truthful. in some areas, he's misleading about what he will do for women, and in that comment that you just played earlier, he wants to encourage employers to get going on jobs so that they'll be hiring men and it sounded like he would encourage them to hire women part-time. he's talking about flexible schedules. most of the women i speak with, they need full-time employment. >> lilly ledbetter, appreciate the conversation. thank you for calling in this

morning. >> thank you. this minnesota viking made headlines for taking a stand off the field, for marriage equality. now he tells us why and other issues are so important to him. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan

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40 minutes past the hour now. another federal appeals court has dealt a blow to the government's defense of marriage act. the act denies federal benefits to married same-sex couples. a court in new york with a conservative judge ruled in favor of an 83-year-old lesbian. she sued the government when she was denied tax benefits when her wife died. it is the second federal appeals court to deem the act unconstitutional. the issue is expected to eventually get before the u.s. supreme court. and a ballot measure that could make same-sex marriages official in maryland has a chance of passing. a "washington post" poll shows 52% of likely maryland voters say they support the measure. compare that to 53% who don't. maryland already passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage, but it doesn't take effect until january, assuming the ballot measure passes. one of the people supporting that maryland measure actually

lives many miles away in minnesota. his name is chris kluwe. sports fans best know him for his day job as a punter for the minnesota vikings. but kluwe was thrust into the national spotlight thanks to a scathing letter he wrote to one maryland lawmaker who not only opposed marriage equality, but also another nfl player who spoke out in favor of it. our poppy harlow travelled to minnesota to get kluwe's take on that and other hot button issues. >> so chris kluwe will be kick it away. >> reporter: this is the chris kluwe most football fans know. and this is the minnesota vikings punter posing for a prominent gay magazine. what is this fight about for you? >> equality and human rights. >> reporter: kluwe, who isn't gaye, isn't coming out, he's speaking out loudly. where would you say this real passion to defend gay marriage came from? >> the fact is they're american citizens who pay taxes, who serve in our military, who

defend this country who are not benefiting under the same legal protections and laws that the rest of us are. to me, that's flat-out discrimination. it's the same as segregation or suffrage. >> reporter: in a state divided over a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, kluwe's taken his fight to blogs and twitter. >> i will defend to the death your right to say or do what you want as long as it does not oppress other people. >> reporter: fellow nfl players certainly don't all agree with him, but kluwe says attitudes are changing. >> i think there is a very -- a much more tolerant atmosphere in the nfl now. >> reporter: is america ready for an openly gay nfl player? >> i don't know. i think until someone comes out, we never will know. >> reporter: you've tweeted that you'd like to debate any minnesota politician on the same-sex marriage issue. >> i'm still waiting. >> reporter: it's not just same-sex marriage that gets him riled up. ask about other hot button

issues and he goes off. >> citizens united. that's a huge issue for me right now. corporations are not people. if you look at the current presidential race right now, we're spending over a billion dollars to determine who our president is going to be. and to me, that says that money has an overriding influence in our politics right now. >> reporter: and on taxes? you would be part of the 1%. >> i am part of the 1%. >> reporter: would you pay higher taxes as way to help balance the budget? >> i would. as long as i have my couch and video games, i'm good to go. that's all i need. i mean, do you really need a diamond encrusted yacht? >> reporter: but don't bet on him running for office. he has zero interest. for now, this is his fight. >> it shouldn't be news when someone speaks out for equality. it should be news when someone speaks out against equality. >> reporter: he's not wild about either candidate, but says he'll vote for president obama, calling him the less terrible choice. he's not punting this election. poppy harlow, cnn, eden prairie

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in case you were wondering why so many people were wearing purple, it was spirit day to speak out against bullying. i speak out against bullying a lot on this show, which is why we had alan huguely on this show. he lost his son to bullying. october 14th was the one-year anniversary of the suicide of his 15-year-old son jamie. that also happened to be the same week 15-year-old canadian team amanda todd took her life. her ultimate escape from bullying. amanda filmed the nearly

nine-minute video that touched and outraged millions of people, and now it's part of an investigation of possible criminal activity leading to her death. it also sparked a nationwide discussion for canadian lawmakers. alan huguely joins us now. he is the father of jamie huguely and the counselor for ottawa city. good morning to you. i just have to say first, i'm so sorry for the loss of your son jamie. i'd like you to tell me a little bit about him and why he was struggling. >> thank you, and thank you for the invitation to be here today. jamie was struggling. he had been dealing with bullying as one of the issues for a few years, different situations. and also, it was a figure skater. he got picked on for that. he was one of those boys that was always smiling, happy to be around, and liked to make everybody happy. so that also made him a target.

and at the start of grade ten, he had come out as the only openly gay male at his high school. >> did he share with you that that was part of the issue for him, and that's why he thought in part he was being bullied? >> he didn't understand -- his exact words to me is that he didn't understand why people didn't like him. he hadn't done anything to hurt anybody. he enjoyed his skating, when he was younger, for example. he couldn't understand why that made him a target for bullies. just thought everybody should respect each other. and it wasn't hurting anybody, what he was doing. so he could never come to terms with the fact that other people hated him for those things. >> and now following the loss of your son, you say it is time for canada to take action against

bullies. what kind of action do you want? >> well, i've been trying to work on this issue for the past year. jamie had actually started trying to form a club and working on this issue himself before he made his fateful decision. i'm trying to carry on what he was starting. and what i see that needs to be done here and now is we as a community, as a society, have to put a stigma to bullying. we have to -- each one of us have to say no more. >> i want to bring in donna mora now, a member of the canadian parliament working to push through some anti-bullying legislation. good morning. it sounds like you have a plan to study the prevalence of bullying, but you don't think the answer is actually to bring criminal charges against the bully. why is that? >> well, when we look at a kid who has been bullied for months

or years, well, the harm has been done, so i would much prefer that my national strategy would do more than study prevalence and the impact of the various types of bullying. because it will also make sure that we look worldwide at the best practices. i know finland and sweden do, and canadian families have this huge burden on their shoulders. maybe their afraid that their kids might be bullied. maybe they know that they are, but they don't know what to do about it. we need more support to nnation organization underground. we need to put the emphasis on prevention rather than criminalization. i'm not saying that those extreme cases that sometimes we see in the media, some criminal charges should not be part of the solution. but i would much prefer that we

prevent as many bullying cases as possible. >> mr. huguely, what is your reaction to that? is studying the issue and planning more studies about prevention enough for you? >> no, i think that we're losing too many kids here in canada and in the u.s. we're losing too many kids. if we study this for another year, there will be more lives lost. you can go on the government of canada website, you go on the u.s. government website, the dot-gov, and there's a lot of information and studies already done on bullying. we have a definition we all agree to. we have legislation in place where charges can be laid for harassme harassment, for example. right now, it's not being used. we need to, as a society -- and randi, let me give you an example. what i refer to is drinking and driving. 20 years ago, it was acceptable for people to drink and get behind the wheel and drive. there was a lot of it going on.

over the last 20 years, we attached a stigma to drinking and driving in north america. and now you have -- like if you're throwing a party, you make sure your guests don't drink too much. they may come with a designated driver. you may ask them for their keys or call them a cab. if you go to a restaurant, the waiters and waitresses are trained not to overserve you and to watch for that. police have program where is they do roadside stops and charge people now. the courts are taking it more seriously. >> right, right. >> as a society, we came together. let's do that with bullying. let's put that same stigma to bullying and each of us say no, it has to stop. because the missing link here -- and a study won't give it to us. another piece of paper will not give this to us. it has to be individual action. it can't be top down from the government. we have to engage the bystander in the bullying discussion. >> i'm curious what type of support you're getting for the legislation. have you heard from others,

other parents who have suffered a similar loss? >> yes. and also, victims of bullying also support my piece of legislation, but to correct the record, my national strategy will not create another study. it will create a nonpartisan committee that will draft together the national strategy on bullying prevention based on the framework that i provided. so at the end of the special committee, it will not take years, we'll have something concrete. and i can mention, very concrete action, such as disseminating best practices to canadian families, getting more local support to our organizations. so i am very optimistic about this. >> and for other parents watching whose son or daughter may be in trouble, who may be struggling, what's your advice for them at this point? >> well, they need help now. as he said, we need to get into the prevention piece of it.

and we also have to have resources available for the kids that are in crisis today. so my advice to parents, if they're worried about their children or even if they're not worried right now, have a conversation with your kids. sit down and say, you know, how are things in your life? is there anything going on? because in jamie's case, it took us a while to find out that he was being bullied, because the mentality at that age was you're a rat if you say anything about it. you have to keep it to yourself. we might have been able to save him if we knew what was going on earlier before the damage was done. >> well, i'm so sorry, again, for loss of jamie, and i appreciate your advice and coming on to talk about it, and maybe reaching out to other parents as well. so i appreciate that. and danny morian, i appreciate your efforts as well. thank you both. >> thank you.

>> if you'd like to sound off on stories about bullying, you can tweet me, you can use t the #bullyingstopshere. you can find me@randikayecnn. we have much more ahead in the next hour of "cnn saturday morning" which starts after a very quick break. military life is different. we've been there. that's why every bit of financial advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ] dad! dad! [ applause ] ♪ [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings advice. call or visit us online. we're ready to help. but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer.

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from the cnn center, this is "cnn saturday morning." it is saturday, october 20th. good morning, everyone. i'm randi kaye. it could not be more neck and neck in the states that count. the latest polls on who's leading in the race for the white house. for the first time since he left live strong, lance

armstrong speaks up hoping his down fall over doping charges doesn't take down the charity. and showdown in g sa. this ship tried to bust through a blockade until the israeli navy got in the way. hear what motivated it all. the mood on the campaign trail is intensifying, as the clock ticks down to election day now just 17 days away. cnn's political editor paul steinhauser joining me live from washington. the election is going to come down to a relatively small number of voters in some key battleground states. the race in several of those states couldn't be closer, right? >> exactly. let's look at two of those biggest states, florida and ohio. florida, 29 electoral votes at stake. our most recent poll just came out yesterday, 49% of likely voters for mitt romney. 48% for the president. take a look at the right column. that's back in late august

before the conventions, before the debates, a very different story in florida. let's move on to ohio. a fox news poll coming out last night. pretty close as well. the president with a three-point advantage, but that's within the sampling of ohio, 18 electoral votes at stake. in both of these polls, they were conducted entirely after tuesday's presidential debate. >> so i guess the pressure is on. how are the campaigns reacting to the pressure and certainly the pressure of winning over those undecided and uncommitted voters? >> maybe one way is the heated rhetoric on the campaign trail. we saw it at the debate on tuesday night and we saw it again yesterday. take a listen to president obama and mitt romney. >> if you say earlier in the year i'm going to give a tax cut to the top 1% and then in a debate you say i don't know anything about tax cuts to rich folks. you need to get a thermometer, take your temperature, because

you probably got romnesia. >> they've been reduced to petty attacks and silly word games. just watch it. the obama campaign has become the incredible shrinking campaign. this is a big country with big opportunities and great challenges, and they keep on talking about smaller and smaller things. >> romnesia, that's a first from president obama, and some tough response from mitt romney. i don't know how much these kind of comments are going to help with undecided voters. they may be turned off a little bit by that negativitnegativity. >> what about the candidates this weekend? are they back in debate prep mode? >> you're not going to see a lot of mitt romney and president obama this weekend. basically they're under lock and key getting ready for monday night's key showdown, the final debate. mitt romney just landing in palm beach, florida. he'll be behind closed doors, and the president at camp david. you'll see their surrogates on the campaign trail all weekend long. >> very busy time for you as

well. thank you very much. >> thanks. >> the two candidates face off in their final debate on monday night. you watch the showdown live right here on cnn at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. in other news, lance armstrong was defiant last night in his first public appearance since the release of a report that accuses him of running the most sophisticated doping program ever in sports. armstrong took the stage at a gala marking the 15th anniversary of his cancer charity live strong. the seven-time tour de france champion stepped down this week as the chairman of that charity. armstrong didn't address the doping allegations directly, but he did thank supporters and the foundation's employees. >> this mission is bigger than me. it's bigger than any individual. there's 28 million people around the world living with this disease. martin luther king said once -- he said we must accept finite

disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. >> cnn's don ridel was at the event and he caught up with actor sean payton there. >> you've been a proud supporter of this organization for many years. has anything change fire department you in the last days? >> in the last days? no. i think it's an organization that was developed by somebody who's been an enormous inspiration to so many, and to myself, and he's done an incredible amount of good and i expect it will continue to. >> we could learn as soon as monday if armstrong is stripped of his tour de france titles. a sheriff in the suburbs of detroit doesn't know what to make of 15 shootings in two days, but it's got him talking about the d.c. area sniper from ten years ago. the targets have either been people or cars. no injuries so far. the spree took place between seven prime minister tuesday and 6:45 on thursday. the sheriff of oakland county said "anything is possible in terms of what could develop. we don't want anything to

develop that's certainly developed in the washington area and paralyzed that area for a long time." more than a third of the people found dead in syria yesterday were at a mass grave site. a warning now. what you're about to see is disturbing. the kids should certainly leave the room. government opposition groups say at least 80 bodies were at the grave, apparent victims of field executions. in total, 245 syrians were reportedly killed friday. also on friday, the u.n. and arab leagues envoy to the country arrived in damascus. there is hope to broke aerocease fire by this thursday when a muslim holy day begins. accusations continue that a syrian regime played a part in a car bombing in beirut friday. the attack killed one of lebanon's top intelligence officials and two others. this was a known opponent to

syria's president al assad. syria has called the. booing a "unjustifiable terrorist attack." it has rocked lebanon's sense of safety. today a vigil was held for him. also, lebanon's prime minister offered to resign, but lebanon's president rejected it saying he wanted to avoid a power vacuum. malala yousafzai, the pakistani schoolgirl activist who was shot in the head by the taliban, showing signs of a remarkable recovery. standing for the first time in her uk hospital since the attack, even communicating with her doctors. but doctors do say she's not out of the woods yet. and take a look at this. cnn has received hundreds of messages from around the world for malala. this one reads "i hope you make a full recovery, malala. the world needs more people like you. best wishes and a thank you to your doctors." to send your message of support, you can tweet #messageformalala.

just released cables show there were at least three requests for additional security in benghazi before three americans were killed september 11th there. among them was ambassador to libya christopher stevens. a republican chairman made public these pages of documents. suzanne kelly has been reading through all of it and joins me live from washington. you can pick up a growing sense of urgency from ambassador stevens about the lack of manpower security at the consulate. what have you been able the find exactly as you were able to go through those documents? >> the cables certainly do give us more detail into the thinking of ambassador stevens, even in the hours before his death. when he expressed concern over the rising threats in benghazi and in nearby town where is he believed that islamic extremists were gaining a stronger foothold. now, add to that his concerns that there was no significant deterrents to act against those groups.

in his own words, ambassador stevens said absence of significant deterrence has contributed to a security vacuum that is being exploited by independent actors. what we have seen are not random crimes of opportunity, but rather targeted and discriminate attacks. now, on the security side, the ambassador noted in cables a drawdown from some 34 u.s. security personnel to 27 in july, he said he expected that number to drop to just seven in august. >> and cnn has reported that state department officials have said that the attack in benghazi was unprecedented, even impossible to defend. is there anything in those documents that prove otherwise? >> that's a really tough direct question to answer. there are things in those cables that really show that the u.s. was not where it probably should have been from a security standpoint. the security could have been beefed up. it could have possibly not stopped the attack from happening, but could have provided the u.s. more protection, which it needed in this, and perhaps four people wouldn't have died. it's a little bit of monday

morning quarterbacking. you have two issues, security and intelligence. the intelligence question, were there signs that were missed? was there intelligence that we knew this attack was coming and the u.s. could have taken steps to stop it? the u.s. intelligence industry is sticking by what it said very early on, saying again as recently as yesterday there's still no evidence that this attack was planned in advance, no evidence that it was ordered by al qaeda. >> all right, suzanne kelly, appreciate the update from washington. thank you. in the mediterranean sea, a ship carrying activists and supplies runs up against a naval blockade. we'll tell you what happened right after the break. but how am i going to fund it? and i have to find a way to manage my cash flow better. [ female announcer ] our wells fargo bankers are here to listen, offer guidance and provide you with options tailored to your business. we've loaned more money to small businesses than any other bank for ten years running. so come talk to us to see how we can help. wells fargo. together we'll go far.

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the israeli ship has stopped a vessel trying to break its blockade. onboard were medical smiupplies cement and other materials.

sarah is joining us from israel with the latest on this. i understand you were at the port where the israeli authorities took the estelle after they intercepted it. what is the scene there? >> reporter: actually, the boat has not made it to port yet. what has happened is they get on the boat and commandeered the boat. this morning, late morning here. now, we got conflicting reports. we heard from the activists on the boat and their spokespeople was that the boat was attacked. they said basically the commandos came on, had their faces covered. the israeli military says there was no such attack. they were doing what is the status quo, which is when a boat says it's going to gaza, when they are asked to stop several times and reroute and change their course, and they refuse and the israeli military says it

has every right under international law to stop them from breaking their blockade and that is exactly what happened, according to the israeli military. we have not heard from any of the activists on the boat, which include five members of parliament from several different countries, including sweden, norway, greece, and spain. but we have talked to those who they have been in contact with. they are slowly bringing it into port here. >> in terms of the purpose of the blockade, do you have any insight on that? >> absolutely. israel says look, we put this blockade in place. and made it very, very strict in 2007 when hamas took control of gaza. hamas is considered a terrorist organization by israel and the united states. they are dealing with hundreds of rockets each year, coming out of gaza into israel's territory. and they say this is simply to keep more weapons from entering into gaza. the people in hamas included and

those who were in gaza and working in gaza, u.n. agencies say look, there is a humanitarian crisis going on here. we've got a million-plus people in a very small area who are all in need of things such as educational supplies and medical supplies. the israelis do not believe there is a humanitarian crisis because they say they let in lots and lots of containers filled with all sorts of things into gaza from the ground and they say they even offered that option to those who are on this particular boat, but they refused saying this saul about the blockade and that the blockade should be stopped. >> appreciate the update. thank you. and we want to let you know that we are awaiting the arrival of paul ryan. he's going to be campaigning in pennsylvania. we'll take you there to moontownship, pennsylvania, when it all begins.

we want to get you straight to pennsylvania, where as you can see there, paul ryan is campaigning in moon township. let's listen in. >> the job growth in september was slower than august and august was slower than july. we're not even keeping up with population growth. we're not even creating enough jobs every month to keep up with the growth of our population. we're going in the wrong direction. and so one of those things we need to do to help those people who are in between jobs is to help them get the skills they need, to get the jobs they want in the 21st century so they can provide for their families and get back on the path of pursuing their version of the american dream. that's essential. we also have to make sure that we open up markets so we can make more things in america and

sell them overseas. make sure that people trade fairly with us, open their markets so we can make more things in steel country, and sell them all around the world. that creates good jobs. and i tell you, we've had great leaders like pat over here. we need to recognize once and for all that we can't keep spending money we just don't have. we have got to get spending and the size of government under control. look, the choice is this. do we limit the size of our government, or do we limit the growth of our economy? mitt romney and i believe we need to limit government so our economy can grow. that's why we're going to tackle this debt problem. we have enormous challenges in this country. the president has continued to kick the can down the road. the president has continued to be the most partisan president. this is the third president i have served windchill it ed wit.

it's the most partisan one i have known. we are going to run at our country's economic and fiscal problems before they get out of our control. that's what leaders do. and when you look at the engine of economic growth and job creation in this country, it's small businesses. it's risk takers. it's entrepreneurs. it's the workers that work overtime to make those small businesses work and succeed. we're going to champion these small businesses. we're not going to keep taxing these small businesses and regulating them and spending us into a debt crisis. look, president obama is guaranteeing and promising that if he's re-elected, the top tax rate on our successful small businesses will go above 40%. look, where i come from, overseas means lake superior. the canadians just lowered their tax rate on all of their businesses to 15%. most other countries around the

world in industrialized nations tax their businesses at 25% or less and eight out of ten of our businesses file their taxes as individuals. president obama is saying they're going to be taxed as high as 44.8% in january. it wouldn't even pay for 10% of his deficit spending. this idea of taxing more, taxing more families and small businesses, of regulating more, of more money printing, of more borrowing and spepd inding, we d be entering a golden age along with greece. it doesn't work. the good news is this. with the right ideas, with proven pro-growth solutions that get our country back on the right track, and with the right leadership, with leaders who run at these problems instead of blaming other people and ignoring these problems, we can get this done. we can turn this economy around. we can get people back to work. we can dodge the bullet of a debt crisis like europe is

facing. that's, of all things, the best description of mitt romney. this man is a leader. where other people have failed, this man has succeeded. he turned around the olympics. he was a governor of a democratic state who cut taxes 19 times with democrats, who balanced the budget without raising taxes by working with democrats and not compromising principle. he found common ground, he got things done. he created tens of thousands of jobs. >> paul ryan speaking there in moon -- pennsylvania. this programming note, mitt romney and barack obama face off in their final debate, that's monday night, you can watch the showdown live right here on cnn. all the coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. the doping allegations against lance armstrong could cost him his cycling titles, but

they also could cost him cold hard cash. we'll tell you why after the braechblg -- break. ♪ the trucks are going farther. the new 2013 ram 1500. ♪ with the best-in-class fuel economy. engineered to move heaven and earth. ♪ guts. glory. ram. five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

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so i brought it to mike at meineke. we gave her car a free road handling check. i like free. free is good. my money. my choice. my meineke. it is a done deal. justin timberlake and jessica biel tied the knot at a private ceremony in italy. it's been a long time coming. biel and timberlake dated for five years. "people" magazine says it will have wedding details in a picture spread in next week's issue out wednesday. after making history as the first open lly gay boxer, orlan cruz retained his title. he won the match in florida.

according to "usa today," this is cruz's first victory since coming out earlier this month. lance armstrong didn't mention the doping allegations against him last night, but the accusations are severe. the fallout already has been intense. armstrong has lost major endorsement deals with nike. he stepped down as chairman of his live strong charity, and as soon as next week, he could be stripped of his seven tour de france titles. on top of all that, the cyclist could face legal repercussions. an insurer may try to recoup an $5 million performance bonus it paid to armstrong. the london times says it's considering legal action for fraud. i spoke earlier with paul callen and i asked him if either of the companies has a real case here. >> in the case of the performance bonus, he was paid a $5 million performance bonus for winning one of the many races that he won in his career, and the insurance company paid out on that because they had a

policy. so now they're saying hey, he was using -- he was blood doping, participating in blood doping and it was an illegal win, we shouldn't pay. on the other hand, the british newspapers -- the newspaper in particular, one of murdock's papers, was sued for defamation when they accused him of using illegal performance-enhancing drugs, and they ended upsetling that case as well. i don't think they're going to win these cases against lance armstrong. usually there's an airtight agreement signed between the attorneys saying that all further claims are waived. obviously at the time of the lawsuits, both sides were saying that their position was the correct position. in other words, the newspaper was saying we had good basis to believe he had used illegal drugs, as did the insurance company. so when you set alcase, you're kind of saying i'm giving up these claims. so i don't think they're going to win. >> but armstrong's former

manager said in a statement "he will continue to be involved in legal proceedings related to the u.s. anti-doping agency charges against him and hopes to receive a fair hearing." does armstrong still have a good defense? since he hasn't been officially found guilty of lying or doping. >> i think armstrong is in serious trouble. the agency in issuing its report based the report on testimony from 26 witnesses, 15 writers who participated in races with armstro armstrong. ten of them his roommates, his teammates, and frankly, even his wife was quoted or mentioned in the report on 30 separate occasions. the agency -- the u.s. anti-doping agency said it was as strong a case or a stronger case than any case in the history of the agency. so nike pulling away the endorsement contract. it says to me this is a very strong case against lance armstrong, and i think he's going to have a problem winning

any cases in the future. >> so if he's found guilty, how big is the damage here? do all the titles get stripped? and what about more lawsuits? because even now, some of the people who have helped raise money for his charity live strong, not big corporations, but they're saying we were duped, we want our money back. >> well, i do think his titles will be stripped. i don't think that people who were involved in his charity will have a legitimate ground to sue him. this charity -- and i think what a real tragedy this is. this charity is such an enormously successful charity. it's helped so many pop around the world with cancer. i can't picture it surviving because of the importance of his name. so i think that's the real tragedy of the lance armstrong down fall here, the destruction of his charity. >> once again, we could find out as soon as monday if he gets to keep his seven tour de france

titles. there is a new voter i.d. law in pennsylvania. we'll hear from both sides. [ brooklyn accent ] 50% more simoleons. [ western accent ] 50% more sawbucks. ♪ [ maine accent ] 50% more clams. it's a lobster, either way. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. with a 50% annual cash bonus, it's the card for people who like more cash. [ italian accent ] 50% more dough! what's in your wallet?

we're not in london, are we? no. why? apparently my debit card is. what? i know. don't worry, we have cancelled your old card. great. thank you. in addition to us monitoring your accounts for unusual activity, you could also set up free account alerts. okay. [ female announcer ] at wells fargo we're working around the clock to help protect your money and financial information. here's your temporary card. welcome back. how was london? [ female announcer ] wells fargo. together we'll go far. an attempt to stop fraud or suppress the vote? that is a debate and often a heated one over voter i.d. laws. in pennsylvania, a judge offered a split decision delaying the start of a tough new law while

allowing poll workers to ask for a voter i.d. but not stopping votes for they don't have one. joining me now, jim byrne, and ron ruben. good morning to both of you. ron, i want to start with you first. yesterday the aclu filed a motion with this same judge saying that the show it campaign which shows photo i.d.s is still being publicized, while making a small disclaimer that you can vote without a photo i.d. so what are you doing to counter this messaging that a lot of folks are calling misleading? >> i'm a little bit constrained on what i can say about that. however, since the judge ruled october 2nd, we have revamped our outreach campaign to follow the judge's ruling. which will have poll workers asking voters for i.d. in this election and will not be required to vote. if you don't have it, you can still vote by regular ballot,

which happened in the primary as well. the judge was very specific in his ruling that this education campaign should continue because right now that law is in effect for future elections. so what our campaign is saying is you'll be asked to show the i.d., but will not be required and it gives information on a website and a toll-free phone number where you get information if you need a free i.d. >> why not make it well-known? this is false information really that is out there. why not change the messaging, letting people know that an i.d. is suggested, but not required? >> we did. it's absolutely in all the ads. it says very clearly in the television and radio spots that photo idea will be asked for but not required to vote. it is very clearly stated in the spots that that is what will happen. >> but if you look at the message on that bus, it's pretty hard to see that that is the message because all you see there is the license and "show it."

let me ask you, your efforts and similar ones -- >> i don't agree with that. it says if you have it this election, show it. i think it's very clear, if you have it, you can show it. if you're not, you're not required to. >> let me continue here, because your efforts and similar ones are focused on voters. there have also been reports in other states of consultants hindering the vote, by destroying the registration forms. how are you addressing that problem? >> well, we have not had that here in pennsylvania this election anyway. so we have a pretty good system here in pennsylvania. voter registrations are handled by our 67 counties and we have very good election workers in each of those counties. they're very diligent about what they do. and certainly we work with them if there are any problems that do arise. in pennsylvania, we've had our share of irregularities over the years of people trying to submit false registrations, that sort of thing. on both sides we had a situation just several years ago where a republican group was trying to scam college students in western pennsylvania to changing their

registration party or their address, and the story that was done in the newspaper concluded the only reason they were doing this is they were trying to get these students registered, and if they moved, as college students often do after they graduate, then they could have people voting for them. we've had that in the past. not aware of anything in particular this year, though. >> let me bring in jim. pennsylvania began offering photo i.d. of registered voters in august for free. i know that you are concerned about voters being confused, but by some estimates, only 12,000 i.d.s have actually been issued. can you say that the large groups of people are being disenfranchised by this effort? >> large groups would be disenfranchised, and ron and the administration should be ashamed of themselves for this spin they continue to take with this piece of legislation. only 12,000 were registered because of the poor job this administration did in reaching out to those who may be affected. we have to remember what started this piece of legislation.

the republican governor who used to be the attorney general told folks it was about voter fraud, despite what ron would have you believe, the governor never prosecuted a case. the republican leader of the house admitted on the floor of a republican party meeting that this was about tilting the playing field in an uneven fashion to allow an inferior candidate, namely governor romney, to win pennsylvania. then they would have you believe that only 100,000 voters have been affected. it's more like three quarters of a million. now that the judge put this injunction in place, all you have to do is say this. you are not required to have identification, photo identification to vote in pennsylvania. it's that simple. but they are continuing to move forward with this attempt of this campaign to disenfranchise and suppress and mislead pennsylvania voters. >> pennsylvania isn't the only state where voter i.d. laws are raising serious concerns. cnn's joe johns takes a hard look at this intense battle in

the documentary special "voters in america: who counts." you can catch it tonight at 8:00 eastern time. the uncommitted vote with just over two weeks to go, it can still turn the election upside down. we'll share the stories of those who vote is still up for grabs.

decided? well, yeah? probably? maybe? that is the mindset of 10% of voters. they may be leaning one way, but they can still be swayed. and we're focusing on those uncommitted voters today. voters like joe stults, an

unemployed father of three. this is his story. >> you know, i read a saying. there are those who dream and wish and there are those who dream and work. and that really hit home with me. at that point is when i decided that i was going to get my butt off the couch, i was going to go down to the community college and i was going to see what i could do to combat this economy that we're in. i had flooring business, and it was doing really great. we had so many jobs. everything was rolling. i was on the right path. and then the economy crashed and the housing market crashed and slowly, it got worse and worse and i had no work.

>> people think you're the future. >> yeah, they're probably going, so what are we doing today, professor? >> it's nerve racking going back to school at 43. i'm going to be in class with 17 and 18-year-olds. i think i'll be okay because i've done a lot of coaching at middle school level and i can relate to them a little bit. i think it will be all right. >> some of the runners in the olympics i was watching, he'll run in the back and just hang back and see what they've got in front of them and bang, at the end, just put it on. just keep your kick hard. keep kicking. when i voted for president obama, i really felt that things were going to get better. he really instilled a lot of hope in me and my family. and then i started to lose that hope and was unsure about where he's leading our country. a really good detailed plan for

the economy will definitely sway my vote one way or the other. >> with this textbook also comes a cd in the back of the book, which is our keyboarding pro software. if you choose not to complete all 25 lessons, then you will not be able to complete this course. >> the biggest life lessons i've learned with the economy is that i need to rely on myself a lot more. this 2012 election, it means a lot. i'm not sure who i like yet, but i really want the country to move forward. i want it to affect my family and me as well, so we can really get this country back on track. an important programming note now. the third and final debate is on monday. cnn's live coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. disney's first latina princess has some grown-ups complaining that the cartoon

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a new little princess is about to join the disney kingdom and she'll be making history as the very first latina princess. but some are asking if she's latina enough. i asked careen winter about disney's response to all of this. >> disney's being quite low-key about all of this. you'd think they would benefit from all the publicity, unveiling a latina princess. it's a pretty big deal. disney is introducing their first latina princess, princess soph sophia. she's going to debut next month on the disney channel and a tv movie. there's also going to be a tv series on disney as well as disney jr. but some groups, they don't think disney is going far enough with this character. they say sophia doesn't look like a latina girl and is being voiced by a white actress, so they're a little bit upset about

all of this. a disney rep told "entertainment weekly" when it comes to kids, a princess is just a princess. i have to agree with that. does it really matter here? there was a lot of fuss with the launch of tiana, the african-american princess so many years ago. and so many kids have fallen in love with her. i think they'll fall in love with sophia as well and her big debut will be no problem. but still a little bit of controversy to start all of this out. out. >> controversy around a cartoon and princess. amazing. >> i wanted to ask you about animal practice being canceled. peta is celebrating this. >> they definitely are. you see, peta protested the show. it featured a monkey dressed in a lab coat. they say that's cruel. they're crowing about all. this they're calling the cancellation of victory, they say it sends a strong message that using animals for cheap laughs on tv shows is archaic and uninteresting to today's viewers. that was peta's words. the ratings for the show, they were weak. that's why it was canceled. it probably didn't help that the

show maybe most memorable for irritating viewers during the olympics this past summer. nbc interrupted the closing ceremonies to debut "animal practice" which didn't go over well with audiences. >> that little monkey though, quite a star. i've seen him in spreads in magazines. living got life. drinking champagne. >> i know! >> staying at the nice hotels. >> yeah. that's really what we remember about the show, the monkey. but, you know, good-bye for the monkey and the cast. >> good to see you. thank you. >> thanks. >> that monkey is pretty cute. we have an update on that disney latina princess. disney sponresponded through facebook. she is a fairytale girl who lives in a fairytale world and all our characters come from fantasy lands that reflect cultures and ethnicities but none are meant to specifically represent those real world cultures. >> maybe the monkey can co-host one of the upcoming award

ceremonies. >> that's a great idea. >> cnn newsroom starts at the top of the hour. hello to you, martin. >> hello. >> you have a lot coming up? >> we do. it is the final debate coming up. we'll be looking at all things political. and we'll look at legal issues. we'll have the legal guys in, richard and avery. we'll talk about the latest in the zimmerman case. one of the cases that stands out -- i don't know if you heard of it in maine -- the small town. >> yes, the zumba teacher. according to authorities, they say there was a lot more going on than just dancing and exercise. she's been charged with running a one woman brothel. the list of names, 150 of them, she kept meticulous records. and they're coming out. it's how they're coming out that is really raising eyebrows in that small town. >> and zumba was the cover. that's the part that cracks me up. >> yes. that's a really good one. other stories we're working on as well, this documentary that's coming out. this is my candidate, women are

so much the focus of candidates here. ethel kennedy, her mother, is the focus of this documentary. it's going to be on hbo. we give you a sneak peek and look at this. it's very important that people sort of understand this woman's relationship. >> she's been through so much. i can only imagine. >> yeah. so those are the stories that we're looking at. >> and from what i understand on that one, i heard that she gave her five days. you have five days with me and that is it. that's fascinating. >> it's a loving tribute to her. it's a very nice story. >> and lance armstrong, we should point out, we talked with an insider to the lance armstrong camp to get ideas of where his mind these days, it's been a very tough two weeks for him. so what is the lance armstrong camp thinking? what are they going to say? when are they going to really come out and confront? there have been statements. when can reporters question. all that coming out. >> sounds like a great afternoon. >> should be. >> we'll see you in a few minutes. with the elections two weeks

away, new voter id laws have sparked an intense battle over who counts. now questions are being asked about the underlying message behind billboards in one swing state warning against voter fraud. [ male announcer ] this is anna, her long day teaching the perfect swing

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our billboards warning about voter fraud in two battleground states targeting minorities? some people think that's what they're doing. joe johns reports. >> reporter: voter fraud is a felony. billboards with the simple and factual message are stirring up controversy in two battleground states. here's why voting rights activists like eric marshal are upset.

>> yes, voter fraud is a felony. but it's the way they're being displayed and the fact they're in almost exclusively areas or around areas that are predominantly african-american or latino. it sends a message that there is a problem with the voting. >> reporter: the billboards are popping up in cities in ohio and wisconsin. 85 in milwaukee, 30 in columbus, another 30 in cleveland and 31 in cincinnati. >> take it down! >> reporter: protests started almost as soon as they went up, dending the signs come down. >> this billboard is nothing but a simple of pure unadulterated voter suppression to target an african-american community. >> reporter: the two advertising companies that sold the space, clear channel and norton outdoors, say the buyer was not out to target minorities. >> there was no request for any specific demographic target at all. they wanted the best locations they could get for the four weeks leading up to the election. >> reporter: the bigamistry is who's behind them? the big board itself does not tell. it reads paid for by a private

family foundation and neither company will say who that is. after declining an on camera interview, here's what clear channel wrote to cnn. "the advertiser put into the contract to remain anonymous. it is our policy to require advertisers including political advertisers to have disclaimers which identify them. unfortunately, that policy was not followed in this case." but marshal sees that as a red flag. >> stepping forward and taking responsibility for the billboards and explaining the reason why. that's part of the problem. if these were innocuous, why would you specifically negotiate your contract with clear channel a confidentiality clause? >> mike norton whose family owns norton outdoors sees nothing wrong with the content of the ad. >> the things that we stipulate from political advertisers is that a, it's accurate. and, b, they're not attack ads. and this fell well within the realm of reason on both of those bench marks. >> reporter: the billboards are scheduled to be up through election day and neither company has any plans to take them down

before then. voting rights groups have raised $30,000 to put up their own billboards in cleveland and milwaukee encouraging everyone to vote. joe johns, cnn, washington. and tune in tonight at 8:00 eastern as joe johns hosts cnn's documentary "voters in america: who counts." and secnn newsroom continue with fred right now. >> nice to see you. >> nice to see you. have a good one. >> it is 12:00 on the east coast. if you don't know, it is 9:00 out west. if you're just tuning in, thank you for watching. welcome to cnn newsroom. i'm martin savege. these are the headlines making news. president obama and mitt romney are spending this weekend getting ready for their third and final showdown. that key debate happens monday night in boca raton and focus on foreign policy and